Method and apparatus fob forming



Sept. 20, 1938. H -c. AUMENT VMETHOD ANDv PPARATUS FOR FORMING TUBES Filed'MarCh 1'?, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Eignung Kam w nmot ATTORNEY Sept. 20, 1938. H c. A-UMENT V METHOD AND PPRAIIUSA FOR FORMING TUBES Filed March 1'?, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 lNvlzN-roR il. Wasiff uffzelzf ATTORNEY Patented Sept. 20, 1938 V METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR FORMING TUBES l H Chester Aument, Long Island City, N. Y. Application March 17, 1937, Serial No. 131,354

13 Claims.

This invention relates to an improved, method of forming tubes as well as a functionally and structurally improved apparatus whereby such method may be practiced. i

It is an object to teach a method of forming tubes as well as to provide an apparatusfor the practice of such4 method and by means of which units may be produced which will embodya multiply constructiombut' in which there will be no l0 voids or excess material present which might impair the subsequent usefulness of the unit.

AA further object of the invention-and viewed in its more specific aspects--is that of teaching a method and providing an apparatus as afore-- identified and by. means of which tubes of cylindrical or other desired configuration may be-efiiciently produced, such tubes being ideally adapted to subsequently form the bodies of containers which will withstand severe abuse and strains while efficiently housing various types of materials and especially liquids.

A still further object'of the invention is that of teaching a method and furnishing an apparatus for the practice thereof, which method may readily be followed by persons'having a relatively small amount of skill and which persons additionally will not require any high degree of' training to efliciently operateapparatus constructed in accordance with the Qteachings of the present inven- An additional object is that of furnishing a method and apparatus, the former being susceptible to economical and high speed practice while the latter will embody relatively few parts, each individually simple and rugged in construction, these parts efliciently cooperating over long periods of time with freedom from all difiiculties.

With these and other objects-in mind, reference is had to the attached sheets of drawings, illustrating practical embodiments of the invention, and in whichz- I n Fig. 1 is a somewhat diagrammatic sectional side view of an apparatus whereby thepresent method may be practiced.

Fig. 5 is a view similar to- Fig. 4, butshowing the final position which the parts of such unit assume; i l

Fig. 6 isa fragmentary perspective view of the apparatus as illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5; and

Fig. 7 shows an alternative form of unit.

As afore brought out, the present invention aims to provide a method and apparatus primarily in- 5 tended for the production of tubes to form the bodies of containers. These tubes are preferably cylindrical in cross section and to this end the apparatus illustrated has a configuration so that the desired results are achieved.

Thus, referring to Figs. l, 2 and 3, the numeral I0 indicates a support upon which thereis rotatably mounted a shaft Il; In turn supported against movement with respect to this shaft is a mandrel I2 having a preferably reduced end por- 15 'tion I3 and a movable section I4. The latter extends throughout the operative or receiving zone of the mandrel and may be projected or retracted by means of a tapered sleeve l5 interposed between the shaft and the mandrel. 20

As illustrated especially in Figs. 4 and 5, the mandrel l2 vpresents a slot to receive section I4. Adjacent the forward edge of such movable section the edge of the mandrel may overlap the slot as has been indicated at i6. The major portion of 25 the outer edge of section I4 is curved to merge with the outer surface of mandrel l2 when the section is projected. Adjacent its forward or leading edge this curvature is interrupted so as to conform to the overlapping form I6 of the man- 30 drel. Thus, it will be understood that a layer of material may be introduced between the overlapping po'rtion i6 and the adjacent surface of section I4 when the latter is retracted and thismaterial will be firmly clamped inposition upon the 35 section being projected, a's shown in Fig. 5. l

Disposed adjacent mandrel i2 is a stripping unit which may take the form of a yoke I1 and this unit is conveniently `mounted for movement through bolt and slot connections I1 by an arm .4o

I8 pivotally supported as at I9 upon the base'20 of the machine. At this time it is also to be observed that the tapered sleeve I5Vmay be projected and retracted by a yoke 2l forming a part of or coupled to a lever 22 pivotally supported as at 23 45 by the base. Shaft ll is rotated by means of a drive shaft 24 through the intermediary of a clutch 25, it being observed that the latter may be actuated by a yoke and'lever 26 pivotally coupled as at 21 to the base.

With a-view to providing for an automatic actuation of the assembly and also to drive shaft 24, a further shaft 28 may be rotatably supported y by the base and mount cams 29, 30 and 3l respectively, coupled to operate levers I8, 22 and- 26. 55

A drive connection 32 is provided between shafts 28 and 24 and in view of the fact that it is desired that each unit form include in the present exemplification seven layers or plies of material, the drive 32 should provide for a seven to one reduction. In other words, for each revolution of shaft 28, shaft 24 should revolve seven times.

-At the beginning of such revolutions section I4 will. of course, beprojected by sleeve I5 and the parts of clutch` 25 will be engaged. Thereafter mandrel I2 will rotate the desired number of revolutions and finally the parts of clutch 25 will be disengaged, sleeve I5 will be retracted to permit of a similar movement on the part of section I4, and the stripping yoke I1 `will slide over the mandrel, thereby ejecting over the reduced end I3 thereof the tube which has been built up. Yoke I 1 will now return to its initial position and the parts will be ready for a further operation. It is, of course obvious that the move- .ments of the yoke lare permited on account or the bolt and slot connection I1' or equivalent structures utilized, so that while arm I8 swings the movement of yoke I1 will be in eect a reciprocatory one. It is apparent that any desired method of driving shaft 28 may be resorted to.

Now returning to a consideration of Figs. 1 and 2, it is to be observed that a roll 33 of paper or other suitable material is conveniently supported adjacent the machine and moves adjacent a bath 34. This bath may befilled with glue or any other suitable material consistent with achieving the desired results. Immersed Within the bath nis a transfer roller 35 which carries the substance that the web coating mechanism including in the present exemplification rollers 35-36, has as,

vsociated with it an arm 31 by means of which' the coating operation may be periodically interrupted for a purpose hereinafter brought out. As

illustrated; arm `31 is actuated by a cam (not shown) conveniently associated with shaft 28. It is, of coursel to be understood that any form of mechanism whereby' an interruption to the coating operation results, as well as any mechanism for actuating the same, may be employed. Thence the web passes to a feeding unit 40 which may be slidablymounted upon tracks as at 4I and be reciprocated by a cam and' roller 42, the former of whichis mounted upon shaft'28. At a point beyond the feeding andjgripping unit 40, a severing mechanism 43 may be positioned to be actuatedl as desired for severing vthe web 33. Finally, it is to be observed, as in Figs. 4, 5 and 6, that a wrappingbar 44 is positioned adjacent mandrel I2 and is acted upon by relatively weak springs 45 to constantly tend to move toward the same.

In operation it is obvious that the parts are set up in the manner shown in Figs. 1 and 2,

, and the forward edge of the web is brought to lie between section I4 and the overlapping portion I5 of mandrel I2 in the manner illustrated in Fig. 4. If now section I 4 is projected, this leading edge of the web is clamped and a rotation of mandrel I2 will result in the web beingcoiled around this unit in 'the manner shown in Fig.45. During such coiling, a uniform arrangement of layers will result, which will be free from all voids,

wrinkles, or other objectionable factors. This will be true because the bar 44 will be lightly bearing against the outer surface of the web, thereby not alone functioning to assure a completely even distribution of the coating upon its inner face, but acting to wrap the web around the mandrel and successively around its inner convolutions after'the mandrel completes one rotation. Of course, during this action of the parts the wrapping function exerted by bar 44 will remain substantially constant. 'I'his is extremely desirable because as the body of the tube is built up a yielding aggregation of layers is presented and if the tensioning and wrapping effect were not present there would be danger of the succeeding layers presentingwrinkles and/or voids.

Thus, a final result is reached somewhat in the manner shown in Fig. 5 in which it is observed that each of the inner faces of the convolutions has been coated with glue which has been forced to actually penetrate the fibres of the layer to which it is applied, thus providing (in the case of a seven-ply or layer tube) a composite article which, in effect, embraces -I3 layers of material intimately merged and interlocked to furnish a unitary structure of extreme rigidity and which will be substantially impervious to .moisture and atmospheric conditions. -This will be especially true if there is incorporated in the glue or its equivalent, moisture resisting or water-proofing characteristics. 'I'he reason for there being one less layer of glue or its equivalent than the number of web layers provided is to be found in the fact that the innermost convolution is uncoated.

Upon the unit having been substantially built up; knife 43 will function to sever the web and the rear edge of this severed portion will conclude thel last convolution of the article. Thereupon, section I4 will be retracted, the driving of shaft II will cease, and yoke I1 will function to strip the unit from the mandrel. The gripping and feeding device 40 will now act to feed the forward edge of the web to the mandrel to againl establish the initiation of the cycle as viewed in Fig. 4. It is of course to be understood that adjacent the leading edge of the web the undersurface of the same is uncoated for a distance corresponding to one convolution of the tube to be .formed This result is `achieved in that the parts structure isv suggested, for example, in Fig. '1. in

which a roller 41 is mounted as at 48 to cooperate with mandrel I2. This roller is, of course, yieldingly pressed toward the mandrel in 'any desired and obvious manner, so that a proper cooperation between the mandrel andthe wrapping member occurs. I have, however, foundthat under most circumstances a wrapping bar having the functional characteristics of that illusl trated in Figs. 4, 5 and 6, is preferableand in any event it is 'to be understood that as illustrated in Figs. 4 to '1 the wrapping element (be it barv or roller) should preferably be bevelled or 'reduced in the direction of its endyor ends. Such bevelling or reduction has been somewhat exaggerated inFigs. 6 and 7 for the purpose of emphasizing the construction which is desired. It

Y is found, as a consequence of such structure, that a uniform Wall thickness on the part of the unit results, and additionally there exists a tendency'- on thevpart of the glueor its equivalent to be squeezed between the adjacent layers of material in such a manner that any probability of voids or bulges occurring is overcome. It is, of course, additionally to be appreciated that the mandrel may be of -any desired length so `that the tube, after being discharged therefrom, can

be'subdivided into sections of, any desired number `to provide a corresponding number of container bodies. 1

It is to be understood that the coated web, as it is received by the mandrel, is of arelatively fragile nature and could not ordinarily'be tensioned to an extent such thata proper unit would 'result without there being great danger of the web tearing. However, byapplying the 'wrapping or tensioning structure after the web is` once i4supported on the mandrel, it has been discovered that ,any danger of tearing is substantially eliminated, despite the fact that the effective tension is such, that no voids occur and the layers areintirnately and properly joined. This, lof course, according to certain aspects, follows from the practice of the present method and use of the disclosed machine, in that a slight excess of coating material may be employed and, incident to the pressures set up, this coating material is not alone evenly distributed, but is caused to fill ont all voids inherent to the web structure and to penetrate the material of such structure so that substantially complete impregnationfollows. According to the substance employed, the resultant container may be rendered impervious to the action of moisture, air, oil, and/or pracdrel to receive coated web. convolutions, a rollerl disposed adjacent saidmandrel 'to co-act with the convolutions of web material as they are.

received 'thereon-and to 4wrap lsuccessive layers of such material in intimate contact with said mandrel and preceding' convolutions, and the zone of sai-d roller adjacent at least one of its edges being disposed in non-parallel relationship to the surface of said mandrel.

2. A method of forming a multi-ply container from a fibrous web which includesiapplying to at least one face of such web a substance which will cause adherence thereof of successive layers of web material and in such application utilizing substance in excess of that necessary merely to coat such face, thereafter coiling such web so as to provide a multi-layer structure and, during such coiling, exerting pressure upon the web to cause the excess of said substance to illl all voids in the surface thereof and to penetrate the web fibres, whereby one layer of the substance is caused to merge through the web body with an adjacent layer of such substance.

'3. A tube forming machine including a mandrel, means for wrapping a` web of material around said mandrel, said means including a body disposed adjacent said mandrel, means for mounting said body to prevent an intimate contact between the same and the outer convolution of the tube being formed on said mandrel, and said wrapping means functioning to tension said web and over which the latter passes at a pronounced angle anddirectly to' said mandrel.

4. A tube forming machine including, in cornbination, a mandrel to receive a web of material over which a composite tube is to be formed, means for coating such Web with a layer of adhesive, wrappingv means disposed adjacent said mandrel and including a body extending towards said mandrel to a maximum extent adjacent its central portion, and means for mounting said .body to prevent intimate contact between the same and' the outer face of the outermost convolutionr of said web which is disposed upon said mandrel. i

5. A tube forming machine including, in combination, a mandrel to receivea web of material from which acomposite tube is' to be formed,

' means for coating said web with a layer of adhesive material, a bar disposed adjacent said mandrel, and means for supporting said bar to prevent an intimate contact between the same and the outermost convolution of the web disposed upon said mandrel, said bar providing a .web-supporting means over which said web moves at a substantial angle and directly to said mandrel.

6. A tube forming machine including, in, combination, a mandrel to receive a web of material from which a composite tube is to be formed, means for coating said web with a layer of adhesive material, a bar disposed adjacent said i to the surface of said mandrel.

'1. A tube forming machine including, in combination, a mandrel to receive a web of material from which a composite tube is to be formed,

means for coating said web with a layer of adhesive material, a bar 'disposed adjacent said mandrel, and means for supporting said bar to prevent an intimate contact between` the same and the outermost convolution of the web disposed upon said mandrel, said bar. providing a web-supporting means over which said web moves at a substantial -angle and directly to said mandrel. the web contacting edge of said bar beingsubstantially centrally'v extended towards the surface of said mandrel.

8. A tube forming machine including, in combination, a mandrel to receive a web of material from which a. composite tube is to be formed,

means for coatingsaid web with a layer of adfrom which a composite tube is to be formed, means for coating said web with a layer of adhesive material, a roller disposedy adjacent said mandrel, means' for mounting said roller to preclude of van intimate contact between the surface of the same and the outermost web convolution upon said mandrel, and said roller pro-` viding a web-supporting surface over which said webmoves through a substantial angle and directly towards said mandrel, the surface of said roller extending in non-parallelV relationship with respect to the surface of said mandrel.

10. A tube forming machine including, in combination, a mandrel to receive a web of material from which a composite tube is to be formed,

means for coating said web with a layer of 'adhesive material, a roller disposed adjacent said mandrel, means for mounting said roller to preclude of an intimate contact between the surface of the same and the outermost web convolution upon said mandrel, `and said roller providing a web-supporting surface over which said web moves through a substantialangle and directly towards said mandrel, the central portion of said roller being bulged towards said mandrel.

11. A method'of forming a tube which includes employing a web of material, coating such web with an adhesive material, ceiling such web in the form of a tube and under tension, and meanwhilel applying a relatively great strain to said web at a point spaced from the edges thereof whereby to cause such material to flow over vthe surface of the web and towards the edge of the same.

12. A method of forming a tube which includes employing a web of material, coating such web at a point spaced from its leading edge a distance equivalent to one convolution of such tube with an adhesive material, coiling such web in the form of a tube and under tension, and meanwhile applying a relatively great strain to said webv at a point spaced from the edges4 thereof whereby to cause such material to flow over the surface of the web and towards the edge of the same.

13. A method oi' forming a tube which includesv employing a web of material, coating such web 

